Steam-actuated valve



(No Model.)

J. W. GHEEN. STEAM AGTUATED VALVE.

No. 403,187. Patented May 14, 1889.

A TTOHNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. GHEEN, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

STEAM-ACTUATED VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,187, dated May 14, 1889.

Application filed February 2, 1889. Serial No. 298,459. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN WEsLEY GHEEN, of Astoria, in the county of Olatsop and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Actuated Valves, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention more particularly relates to the steam-cylinder part of a directacting steam-pump and its valves and passagesthat is, to the driving end of the pump-the other or water-cylinder end of the pump being of the ordinary or any suitable kind. In this connection said invention more particularly relates to valve arrangements in such steam-pumps or driving-cylinder end thereof in which the valve controlling the motion of the main piston is a steam-actuated one, and is in its turn controlled byother valves, which have their action governed by the main or driving piston.

The invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the valves and passages of the steam or driving cylinder of the pump, and in certain cocks or attachments, substantially as hereinafter described, and

pointed out in the claims, and whereby the exhaust-steam is made to perform an important part in the slow movement of the main valve, and all jerking or irregular action is avoided.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the steam-pump complete; and Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the driving or steam cylinder end of the pump, to which part my invention relates.

A is the steam-cylinder of the pump, and B the water-cylinder thereof, which latter may be of the ordinary or any suitable construction, and the piston of which is operated in a direct manner by the rod 19, connecting said piston with the driving-piston C of the steamcylinder, as in other direct-acting pumps.

D is the valve, which controls the movement of the piston C in the cylinder A. This valve, which is a slide one, and is shown as of a double-D kind, being provided with two cavities or passages, c c, in its face, but it may be otherwise suitably constructed, is arranged to work freely or independently within a steam-chest, E, from which the usual passages, d d, lead to opposite ends of the cylinder A to reverse the action of the piston O, and which passages, as well as the main or general exhaust-port e, are cont-rolled by the valve D.

The steam-chest is constructed above to form a cylinder, g, having its length in the same direction as that in which the valve D slides or moves. This cylinder serves to receive in a close-working manner within it a piston, F, attached to the valve D, for the purpose of operating the latter, said piston being provided with double heads h h, one near either end, and with reduced opposite terminal extensionsyi i, which are arrangedto work as pistons in and out of reduced cylindrical chambers k k at opposite ends of the body of the cylinder g. Cocks Z Z are also provided at opposite ends of the valve-cylinder or terminal chambers i 1' thereof.

Steam is admitted to the valve-chest between the heads h h of the piston portion of the valve D by an inlet, "m, as usual.

At opposite ends of the main cylinder A are two smaller cylinders or cylindrlcal chambers, G Gthat is, one at either end of the main cylinder and in line with 1t. These cylinders G G are connected intermediately of their length by passages n "a with the reduced terminal chambers or extensions 70 70 of the cylinder g, and these passages 97. n again in their turn are connected by branch passages 0 0 with the enlarged portion of the cylinder 9, near the opposite ends thereof, so that the heads h h of the piston portion of the valve D may control them.

The small cylinders G G, too, are each provided with a live-steam port, 1', near their outer end, and with an intermediate exhaustport, 3, which ports may respectively connect with the steam or valve chest E and with the general exhaust-outlet e-that is, the steamports 7" with the valve-chest and the exhaustports 3 with the exhaust-outlet eor the ports 4" may be otherwise supplied with live-steam and the exhaust-port s have an independent or different outlet. Within said cylinders G G are fitted to work freely as pistons independent valves H, having each a reduced body and opposite llange-heads, and each valve provided with a stem, 0', that normally projects within the main cylinder A. These valves II, which are operated in their one or outer direction by the piston 0 coming in contact with their stemsr, and are moved by the pressure of steam on their backs in an opposite direction, serve to control the passages 22. n, so as to pass steam admitted by the ports 0' to the outer ends of the cylindrical chambers ii In, outside of the ends of the cylindrical valveextcnsions i *L', or to exhaust-steam by the ports 3 s from said chambers 7.: 7.:.

The operation is as follows: \Vhen the parts are in the position as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the valve D is balanced-that is to say, is restrained from moving either way by thepassages a n at both ends establishing connection between the live-steam ports 1' r and the cylindrical chambers 7c 7r. at opposite ends of the piston portion of said valve, and to throw the valve D pressure must be removed from one end of the piston portion of the valve. As represented in the drawings, the valve D has been thrown to the left and is passing steam by the left-hand passage (Z to move the piston (l to the right, and as said piston approaches the end of its stroke in that direction it strikes the stem r of the right-hand sup ilementary valve H and moves the latter so as to shut off steam-supply entering by the right-hand port 2' from the right-hand passage 91 and opens said passage a to the exhaust s in the right-hand cylinder G. This takes oil pressure from the righthand end of the piston portion of the valve D while steam is being supplied by the lefthand passage n. from the left-hai'id port r to the opposite or left-hand end of the piston portion of the valve 1), to throw said valve to the right or move it in the same direction as the piston U, when approaching the end of its stroke, is moving. This shifting of the valve D reverses the action of the piston G when or in due course said piston strikes the stem r of the lcft-hand sup 'ilementary valve H, to move said valve and open the left-hand passage n to the exhaust-port s in the left-hand cylinder G, when the operation, as before described, is repeated to move the valve D back to its original position to the left, to again reverse the action of the piston C, the valve l) always moving in the same direction as said piston. Either valve ll resumes its normal inward position as the piston 0 leaves it by the live steam which enters by theport r, the cylinder of such valve acting upon the outer end of said valve. The piston portion of the valve D covers alternately by its heads 7e. 72. the passages o 0 said valve is moved, and whatever steam is caught by either pistonhead 71. after its terminal extension '2' enters the cylindrical chamber 7:, which it fits, will form a cushion on said pistoirliead to ease up the throw oi the valve.

By the construction of the piston portion of the valve 1) with a reduced head-extension, i, at its opposite ends, and so that the enlarged piston-head parts h lit the cylinder and the reduced extensions '11 the chamber ll", only one at a time of the piston-heads 7r will be exposed on its outer face to the full pressure of the live steam after the valve 1) has been fully thrown, whereby said valve will be held closed in the position to which it was last moved, and so keep the ports to the main cylinder A wide open till the piston C strikes one of the small valves ll and moves it to exhaust the steam from the end of the main-valve cylinder, in which the piston-head h of the valve was fully exposed to the live steam.

The cocks Z l on the ends of the valve-cyl inderg serve the purpose of starting or moving the valve 1) and of setting or keeping the whole mechanism in motion whenever necessary or when there is any failure to work antomatically. This is done by opening either one of the cocks I and keeping the other of said cocks closed, when the steam issuing from the open cock will cause there to be a reduced pressure on the end of the piston portion of the valve D next to said open cock, while the full pressure will be maintained on the opposite end of the piston portion of said valve 1), thus causing the latter to bemoved.

The invention is not only applicable to direct-acting pumps, but also to direct-acting engines for other than pumping purposes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as n ew and desire to secureby Letterslatent In reciprocating-piston engines for steampumps and other purposes in which the reciprocating action of the piston within its cylinder is controlled by a steam-thrown valve, 'which in its turn is controlled by valves actuated by the engine-piston, the combination, with the engine or main valve having opposite end piston-heads, h h, and. opposite terminal reduced cylindrical extensions 11 i, of the valves ll: 11, arranged to work within cylinders G G for direct action by the ei'lgine-piston, as described, said cylinders having steam and exhaust ports 7' s, and the valve-chest constructed with a cylindrical body portion, g and cylindrical end chambers, 797.1, and having steam-passages a a, with branch passages o 0, arranged to connect with the cylinders G G, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

JO I IN \V. Gl'll l'EN.

\Yitncsses:

(ll-IARLES l Zicmnu, ISIAH l3. Emma. 

